WEBVTT SOLEDAD:THE KERNER COMMISSIONREPORT WAS LEAKED BEFOREPRESIDENT JOHNSON EVER GOT ACHANCE TO SEE IT.HE REJECTED ALL ITSRECOMMENDATIONS.THAT PROVIDES A BACKDROP TOWHERE DETROIT NOW STANDS.TODAY, WHILE DETROIT'S DOWNTODESCRIBED AS IN A RENAISSANCE,NEARLY 40% OF THE CITY'SRESIDENTS LIVE IN POVERTY.THE MEDIAN INCOME FOR CITYRESIDENTS IS ABOUT 26-THOUSANDLESS THAN HALF OF THE NATIONALDOLLARS, AVERAGE.THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS.JOBS IN THE CITY'S AUTO INDUSTRARE UP 31% SINCE 2010.WE ASKED FOUR JOURNALISTS, ALLRESIDENTS OF DETROIT, TO SHARETHEIR PERSPECTIVES ON THE MOTORCITY TODAY.CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY, URBANAFFAIRS REPORTER FOR BRIDGEMAGAZINE.SHE COVERS POLITICS ANDEDUCATION.KEITH OWENS, SENIOR EDITOR FORTHE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE, IS ALSOA FORMER REPORTER FOR THEDETROIT FREE PRESS.LESTER GRAHAM, HOSTS A RADIOPROGRAM "STATESIDE" ON MICHIGANRADIO.AND LAURA HERBERG, THE COMMUNIREPORTER FOR DETROIT'S WDET FM.HER BEAT INCLUDES HOUSING ISSUESIN DETROIT.THEY ALL CONTRIBDETROIT JOURNALISM COLLABORATIV.ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I THINK INA CITY LIKE DETROIT IS YOUR BOTHTHE CHEERLEADER FOR THE CITYRIGHT?YOU WANT A GREAT CITY TOSUCCTO ALL THE DATA POINTS AND SOMEOF THOSE DATA POINTS IN THE CITYARE TERRIBLE.KEITH OWENS: JUST LIKE MEMBERSOF YOUR OWN FAMILY I MEAN YOULOVE THEM BUT YOU KNOW 'EM.I THINK IT'S THE SAME THING WHDETROIT, WE KNOW THE CITY, WEKNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE STATISTICSSAY, WE COULD RATTLE STATISTICSON FOREVER ABOUT WHAT THE CRIMERATE IS, WHAT THE POVERTY RATEIS, WHAT THE LITERACY RATES, I, ETC. I THINK WHERE DETROITERS GETSENSITIVE IS THE FACT OF THE ONEDIMENSIONAL APPROACH IN TERMS OFDETROIT IS THIS AND DETROIT ISTHAT.IT'S MUCH MORE THAN THAT, ITCANNOT BE ENCAPSULATED INTOTHOSE TITLES OR INTO ANY SMALLNARRATIVE.SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: AS A JOURNALIWHO'S BEEN HERE FOR FIVE YEARS,IS DETROIT BACK?LESTER GRAHAM: IT'S BETTER BUT SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME IN THENEIGHBORHOODS AND IN THENEIGHBORHOODS THEY'RE STILLSUFFERING, THEY'RE STILLDECLINING.THEY'RE STILL WRENAISSANCE THAT'S BEEN TALKEDABOUT IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT TO HIT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ANDSO FAR THEY HAVEN'T SEEN MUCHFROM THAT.LAURA HERBERG: TAX ASSESSMENTSARE TOO HIGH SO PEOPLE CAN'T YTHEIR TAXES, THAT LEAVES TOFORECLOSURE.WELL, FORECLOSURE LEAVES TOAUCTION.THEN YOU HAVE INVESTORS COMINGIN, BUYING A PERCENTAGE OF THOSEHOUSES, NOT MAINTAINING THEIT GOES ON AND ON.CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY: DETROIT,EVERYONE KNOWS, WE PUT THE WORLDON WHEELS RIGHT?BUT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THOSEDOZENS OF FACTORIES WENT AWAY.PEOPLE MOVE, LOTS OF PEOPLE MOVESO THERE IS THIS HUGE AMOUNT OFVACANCY, THERE IS THIS HUGEJOBLESSNESS RATE.SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: THE KERNERCOMMISSION REPORT HIGHLIGHTEDRACE AND RACISM.WHEN WE TALKED TO SENATOR HARRI, HE'S LIKE, WE INTENTIONALLYUSED THE WORD "RACISM,"' WE WERENOT GOING TO DODGE IT.SEEMS TO ME THAT RACE INTERSECWITH EVERY ISSUE IN THE CITY ODETROIT AND MAYBE IN EVERY BIGMETROPOLITAN CITY.KEITH OWENS: HOUSING ANDSEGREGATION AND REDLININGDETROIT WAS EXTREME.SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: SO PEOPLE WHODON'T KNOW REDLINING WASLITERALLY A RED LINE ON A MAP.THAT SAID THIS IS WHERE THEBLACK PEOPLE CAN GO.KEITH OWENS: AND YOU CAN'T GOOUTSIDE OF THAT.RACISM STRUCTHIS CITY ON PURPOSE AND WHENPEOPLE BEGAN TO LEAVE AND THENPEOPLE BEGAN TO DISINVEST.THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF WHATWAS DONE TO THIS CITY BY RACISMHAS ALMOST DESTROYED IT, ALMOS, ALMOST PUT IT UNDER.LESTER GRAHAM: THERE IS A NICENARRATIVE ALONG MANY PEOPLE,DETROIT IS A PROBLEM BECAUSEIT'S BLACK, BECAUSE IT'SDEMOCRAT AND THEREFORE STORYOVER, IT WILL NEVER BE FIXED.AND THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TOBELIEVE, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RECOMFORTABLE WITH AND IT'S JUSTLIE.SYSTEMIC RACISM MEANS THAT YOUHAVE TO COME TO GRIPS WITH ALLYOU'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE LASTCOUPLE OF HUNDRED YEARS AND NOTEVERYBODY IS THERE YET.CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY:I THINKTHAT THE UNDENIABLE ANDQUANTIFIABLE TRUTH IS 50 YEARSLATER THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THEKERNER COMMISSION WERE NOT PUTIN PLACE SEGREGATION CONTINUED, AND WE KNOW FOR A FACT THATOUR SCHOOLS ARE MORE SEGREGATEDNOW THAN THEY WERE.THAT OUR POOR BROWN AND BLACCHILDREN GET FEWER RESOURCES ANDA LESSER EDUCATION IN THE CITY.WE KNOW THAT TO BE TRUE, IT'SSOLEDAD O'BRIEN: THEN WHY AREPEOPLE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DETROIT?CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY: PEOPLE INDETROIT ARE GRITTY.THEY'RE HOPEFUL BUT THEY'REDEMANDING SOME CHANGE FOR THEIRNEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL.KEITH OWENS: WELL HOPE IS ASTRONG THING.THEY ARE WATG PROGRAMS THAN EVERYBODY ELSE ISSO WHEN EVERYBODY'S ARE SEEINGTHE PROGRAMS THAT DETROIT IS THEMURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD THENEVERYBODY FEELS DEPRESSED.THEY SEE THE SHOWS THAT ARESAYING DETROIT IS COMING BACK,THEY FEEL BETTER.CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY: THE STORYOF DETROIT IS THE STORY OF EVERYAMERICAN CITY, EVERY AMERICANCITY CAN IDENTIFY WITH POVERTY,JOBLESSNESS, UNEMPLOYMENT,REDLINING HOUSING ISSUES, RACIALATTITUDES AND WE MIGHT BESUFFERING FROM SOME OFTHOSE ISSUES AT A HIGHER DEGREEAND A WORSE DEGREE BUT IFDETROIT -- HERE'S THE THING --IF DETROIT TURNS AROUND, IFDETROIT CAN DO IT, OH IT CANHAPPENSOLEDAD O'BRIEN: THANK YOU SOMUCH, I LOVE TALKING TOJOURNALISTS BUT SPECIALLY

Detroit Journalists: “The Story of Every American City”

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Updated: 3:55 PM CDT Jul 28, 2017

50 years ago, civil disorder rocked the city of Detroit. Today, the city continues to suffer tough economic times. Forty percent of residents live in poverty. and many of the buildings stand abandoned. However, there are signs of recovery – auto industry jobs are up over 30 percent since 2010 and recent investments have worked to revitalize the once vibrant downtown. Soledad O’Brien meets with one group of journalists who say they are hopeful for their city.